New Slang
by Talking like a Lion
Summary: When Lily Evans' parents die, leaving her in crippling debt, she is forced to take a job as a showgirl. Enter James Potter, the wealthy son of a merchant. He makes her an offer: stay with him for the following two weeks, and he will give her three thousand pounds, which she may take or leave. One thing's for certain: their deal will be a lot more complicated than either expected.


Chapter 1: New Slang

**A/N: Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to hopefully read my story. Before you begin, I would like to clarify some things. First: I haven't written in around six months due to my schedule and some crazy writer's block. Thus, I am extremely rusty. Secondly: this story is rated M for a reason. There will be prostitution, brief mentions of abuse (though no graphic scenes), as well as alcoholism and smoking. If any of these are triggering to you or you find them uncomfortable, please do not read any further. That being said, I hope you enjoy and I would so thrilled if you took the time to leave a review, although I am never going to beg for them. Enjoy!**

After Lily Evans' parents die abruptly, leaving her in crippling debt, she is forced to take a job as a showgirl. Enter James Potter, the wealthy son of a prosperous business owner. He makes her an offer: stay with him for two weeks and at the end of his stay he will offer her three thousand pounds, which she may take or leave. What Lily doesn't know is that it isn't going to be quite so simple.

Lily Evans opened the door to the dressing room with shaky hands, nervous fingers lighting a cigarette immediately and taking a long drag. She slid down the cheap wood to the floor and rested her head on her knees, fag perched elegantly between her slender fingers.

It had been a long show that night, and she was eager for a bath to scrub off the layer of grime and shame that work always brought.

Lily was so wrapped up in her thoughts she almost didn't notice Marlene, stripping off her garters with an unusual silence. Marlene was usually bubbling over with energy and excitement, making her a favorite among their clients. Lily was prized as well, though for her luxurious curtain of red hair and leggy figure. She may have hated her job, but she knew how to smirk and bat her lashes with the best of them.

Marlene finished changing and sat down at the tiny dressing table, tersely unpinning her long, pale blonde hair. Usually when Marlene was upset, her levels of energy spiked to a manic degree in order to distract herself. For her to have gone so quiet, she must have been far more upset than she was letting on. Steeling herself, Lily turned away from her friend and began to unhook her constricting corset, finally daring to make conversation.

"Marl?"

"What?" she questioned tightly, ripping out her hairpins so viciously that strands of hair were yanked out.

"Please tell me what's wrong. You've been too quiet."

Marlene cursed under her breath, starting to speak before thinking better of it and closing her mouth

"It isn't anything Lily, really," she lied, avoiding eye contact with the redhead.

"You know I don't believe you."

"It's nothing, I just...one of my regulars chose to take out Elizabeth tonight."

Lily winced in sympathy, finally understanding why Marlene was so distraught. It was dangerous to become too attached to customers in their profession, and Lily's friend had been becoming more infatuated with a certain client than she cared to admit. That was the hardest part about being a showgirl: becoming too close to the regulars.

"It was Sirius Black, wasn't it?"

The blonde shrugged in a poor attempt at indifference, and Lily pretended not to notice the red circles around her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Marly," she said quietly, "Did he say he was taking her out?"

"He didn't have to. He was stuck to her out in the hallway."

"She could have kissed him" Lily suggested. Elizabeth was flighty, even for a showgirl.

"He's just a customer, Lily," she hissed, looking as if she was trying to convince herself.

Lily flinched, causing Marlene's face to soften apologetically. "I'm sorry, Lily, perhaps I'll be in a better mood tomorrow," she said, bitter smile toughening her pretty features.

Marlene walked briskly out of the door, looking every bit the respectable woman she was during the day. With her long blonde hair, crooked smirk, and enviable figure, Marlene always attracted a rather large group of admirers. Lily figured that it had been only a matter of time before her friend confused lust with love and started to trust me of the many men drooling after her. Lily was embarrassed to admit that she was beginning to think that Sirius Black had genuine feelings for her friend as well. The notorious player seemed softer around her, more human than his godly reputation.

The girls had been wrong about him, and now Marlene was paying the price.

_You can only get hurt if you let them in_, she thought to herself, carefully removing the flaming scarlet lipstick caking her sticky lips.

With a last lingering glance at her hollowed reflection in the dingy mirror, she exited the extravagant building out of the back entrance, breath forming cloudy smoke in the bitter January air.

Turning onto her street, a hand suddenly grabbed her elbow, causing her to jump and yank her arm away as if she had been burned. Most of the men that frequented the club were hopelessly intoxicated, and it wouldn't have been the first time a customer had been too forward.

Turning to face the stranger, Lily opened her mouth to verbally bash the creep, but he cut her off before she could say anything.

"Hello, there!" he chirped, acting as if she was an old friend and not a stranger.

He was smiling enthusiastically and bouncing on the balls of his feet in a decidedly childish manner, despite his height and masculine build. As she watched, he ran a hand through his inky tangle of hair, causing it to stick up even further. He didn't look dangerous, or drunk, but Lily was still wary.

"Hello," she replied curtly, continuing to walk towards her shared flat. The man's long stride kept pace with hers easily, much to her mounting frustration.

"You put on quite the show tonight," he murmured, breath hot on her ear. Lily recoiled, glaring at the stranger sharply. She didn't know who this man was, but she was done with this conversation.

"Is there a particular service you require, sir, because if not I simply must be getting back to my flat," she said icily, fixing him with her coldest glare.

"I see. You're the once respectable daughter of deceased parents, who left you responsible for paying off their debts and forced to make money in whatever way you can."

Lily inhaled sharply.

How did you know that?" she questioned fiercely, drawing her coat tighter around her slender figure.

He merely shrugged in response, the same infuriating smirk gracing his features.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" she continued to needle with increasing urgency.

At this he grinned broadly, finally giving her a real answer.

"My name is James Potter, though you may call me James, and I'm the son of a wealthy business owner. I am visiting a friend here, and I have a proposition for you. It's a rather good one, if I do say so myself, would you like to hear it?" he said grandly, punctuating his words with exaggerated hand gestures.

"Alright," she responded, still hesitant of the exuberant man.

"Stay with me during the remainder of my visit, two weeks. The night before I leave, I will offer you three thousand pounds. You may choose to take it or leave it."

Lily very nearly stopped in her tracks. Three thousand pounds? The man was a fool, but Lily would be a bigger one if she refused his offer. Instantly, she switched into business mode, running her tongue along her lips and unbuttoning the top of her coat.

"I would be glad to accept your offer sir," she cooed in her most syrupy voice, shaking his hand flirtatiously. Lily hated the person she played, but it was the only way to attract customers.

Much to her surprise, James looked confused and rather upset by her sudden change in personality. Before she could question it, she wrote down her address on a scrap of paper and handed it to him.

Whatever had been bothering him, it was apparently gone. With a final overdramatic wave, he turned and made his way back down the street, illuminated by the streetlight.

Lily pressed her hands to her eyes until she saw stars and counted slowly, unsure whether she had just imagined the encounter. She impatiently fished around her bag for another cigarette, lighting it expertly and taking a cathartic drag. She knew they were terrible for her health, but they were the only luxury she could afford. As soon as she paid off her father's remaining debts and was able to leave her job, then she would quit. In the meantime, they helped her through the worst days.

Flicking ash onto the sidewalk, she began to make her way back to the flat, mind spinning on her sudden stroke of good luck. One thing was certain: It was going to be quite an interesting few weeks.


End file.
